For Auld Lang Syne
by TheLordismyGod
Summary: Peabody and Sherman rein in the New Year, with a few hiccups.


**Happy New Year everyone! This one I take absolutely no credit for. This one was written verbatim by PassTheNachos in my MPaS discord server, borne collectively from ideas in the conversation. He has graciously allowed me to post it in his name, because you all seriously need to read this one!**

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It was 10 PM on December 31st, 2019.

A small white-furred creature raced around in a lavish New York apartment, balancing a silver platter of champagne as gracefully as he possibly could, ducking and weaving through hordes of nicely dressed guests, all of which towered over himself.

"I think it was a really great idea to host a New Year's party, Mr. Peabody!" the dog's adoptive son excitedly proclaimed, speed-walking to keep up with his father.

"I'm glad you think so, Sherman," Peabody began, "I'm a little tied up at the moment, why don't you find some friends to talk to? I saw Penny and her friends sitting outside by the pool."

Sherman shrugged. "Okay, but can I try some champagne first?"

Peabody frowned, not meeting his eyes with Sherman's. "No, Sherman."

The hustle and bustle of the crowded penthouse only further strengthened, as more and more latecomers arrived at the party, the chime of the elevator drowned out by the sardine-packed space. Passing out the last few hors d'oeuvres to a small congregation of work colleagues, Peabody's keen sense of hearing picked up the chime of the elevator once more, hurrying over to greet the new wave of guests.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Glendale! I'm so glad that you decided to come! We have plenty of canapés and a large assortment of drinks to choose from, you only need to ask! Please, come in." He waved a paw to usher in the couple. "Mr. Glendale, I hope you don't mind my saying, that your wife is an excellent project manager at Peabody Industries. I have yet to reach the limit of her management capability."

The husband smiled down at the genius dog. "I don't mind at all. After that bonus you sent around the office this year, you can tell me red is blue." He flashed a quizzical look when his wife jabbed him lightly in the rib.

"Honey, I don't think my boss appreciates that kind of talk!" She scolded under her breath.

"No, no, it's fine Mrs. Glendale. I'll admit, when it comes to taking care of my employees, I'm a stickler!" Peabody chuckled, easing the tension. "Please, chat with your fellow guests, while I fetch you some refreshments."

The night continued on in a similar fashion, with Peabody rushing to and fro, tending to all of his guests' needs and wants. He was so caught up in making the night as great as possible, that he almost didn't notice a full hour passing. With one hour left to go before new year's, and a large stash of bite-sized food in the kitchen, he knew that he'd be left with a massive surplus of supplies by the time the night ended.

"Hey, hey! Peabody!" Another guest called out as he stepped out of the elevator. "Sorry I'm late, had to swing by a liquor store and get a bottle. Hope you like red." He held out a non-descript bottle of wine, with the word 'red' literally printed on the label. Peabody thanked the man politely, before returning to the kitchen and adding to his increasingly concerning hoard of wine bottles, most of which ranging between the cheap and nasty brands, to the snobby, 'obvious' choices for impressing an individual as esteemed as himself.

He almost felt refreshed when one of his interns, a 22 year old man who'd worked with Peabody occasionally over the past two months, arrived, offering up a bag of potato chips.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to get, I'm not much of a drinker, a-and I didn't know the dress code would be so-" The man stopped, as Peabody raised a paw in objection.

"I am pleased to see you decided to arrive, Mr. Williams. Better late than never, as I always say. You're right on time to rein in the new year!" He offered a paw to take the light snack.

"Wow, i-is that a golf course you have outside?" The man meekly pointed timidly out of a nearby window. This earned a chuckle from Peabody.

"Yes. I have many hobbies, and golf is but one of them. Perhaps another time you could visit and we could have a game." Peabody smiled warmly, reassuring the intern and easing his nerves.

Once the steady stream of arrivals slowed to a stop, and the majority of guests stopped accepting offers for snacks and drinks, Peabody decided that his duties for the night were more or less done. Noting that only thirty minutes remained until midnight, he made his way through the masses and outside into the chilled air.

"Sherman?" Peabody called out to the pool area, noticing that he'd been engrossed in conversation with half a dozen students from school. "It's nearly time for you to perform."

Sherman flung his head back and closed his eyes indignantly. "Mr. Peabody, do I really have to do this? I'm with friends right now!"

Peabody's face turned slightly stern. "Now, Sherman. We agreed upon this, you said you wouldn't complain when the time came. Now come on, we don't have much time."

Muttering a small apology to his friends, Sherman stood up and brushed himself off, glumly dragging his feet toward his father. "This is so embarrassing."

Peabody chuckled, "You're twelve years old, Sherman. You'll look back on this fondly."

Standing up onto a demountable stage that had been set up outside on the balcony, back-dropped by a view of Central Park, Peabody approached a microphone stand to address the guests.

"I would like to thank you all again for coming to Mr. Peabody and Sherman's New Year's Eve Party of twenty-nineteen! My dear boy and I both agreed to host this party, under the condition that I would tend to the catering of the event, and he would provide you all with the entertainment for the night. As such, he would like to lead you all in singing the New Year's Anthem."

Cheers and whoops rang out in the audience, bringing a blush to Sherman's face.

"You know, Mr. Peabody," Sherman spoke in a hushed tone into his father's floppy ear, "I've learned a valuable lesson today. And it's that promises are much worse than they sound when you have to follow through with them."

Peabody grinned brightly, teeth baring. "A very valuable lesson, indeed. At least we can say this night wasn't in vain. Good luck!" He stepped away from the microphone, padding down the stairs and down into the audience, joining the front row of eager listeners.

Sherman cleared his throat, wringing his hands. Beginning the count down to the new year, he allowed the audience of guests to join in.

5…4…3…2…1…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The crowd all cheered at once, fireworks bursting into bright wisps of smoke and light behind Sherman as he cleared his throat to sing.

"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber fields of grain…" Sherman began to sing, letting his voice peter out as he realised that Peabody had been tapping a paw vigorously on the edge of the stage. He leaned down to hear what he had to say.

"Sherman!" Peabody whispered loudly, "You're singing 'America the Beautiful', you're supposed to be singing the New Year's anthem!"

"I forgot how it goes, Mr. Peabody! Is it the one that goes 'Oh say, can you see, by the dawn's early- '"

"No, Sherman! That's the National Anthem! I'm talking about the song we sing to celebrate the new year!"

"Is it the one that goes 'I pledge allegiance to the flag'?" Sherman hurriedly questioned.

"NO! Sherman, that's not even a song! You're doing me a great deal of concern!" Peabody animatedly waved his hands around, cupping his paws over his muzzle to amplify his voice. "Auld Lang Syne! The song!"

"Why would I sing about some stupid old sign?" Sherman yelled back, projecting his voice over the roaring of the fireworks and cheering of the guest.

Slapping a paw to his face, nearly knocking his glasses off, Peabody resigned himself. "Never mind, I'm coming up there. Follow my lead."

Stepping back onto the stage and standing beside his son, the pair shared the microphone as Peabody led Sherman in singing.

_Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind_

_Should all acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne_

The duo wasn't bad, considering that Sherman had never really sung in his life. Peabody could hold a tune at least and exaggerated his mouth movements to assist Sherman in figuring out the verses of the song as they sang along. To the relief of the pair, the entire penthouse rang out in unison as they sang the age-old Scottish poem.

"Mr. Peabody." Sherman started, as the pair stood back from the microphone, reveling in the uproarious applause of the guests. "Thank you for giving me the best year I could ever ask for. I love you, dad."

Peabody hesitated briefly, taken aback by the strong show of affection. "I love you too, Sherman. Happy new year."

The pair stood wordlessly, looking out over Central Park, as the fireworks continued to sparkle and light up the skyline of New York.

For Auld Lang Syne.


End file.
